Council chiefs have reached an agreement with grieving parents in a dispute over removing treasured mementos from children’s graves.
A total of 290 letters were sent out to parents and guardians last month to let them know that items such as cuddly toys would be removed from Hazlehead Cemetery.
The local authority said the items needed to be moved for health and safety reasons due to staff cutting grass on the site.
Bosses originally said that the mementos would be taken to a memorial garden before being disposed of if not claimed within six weeks.
When that plan was described as “heartless” by a number of parents and a petition received hundreds of signatures, the council announced talks with parents.
That consultation has now taken place, with the local authority make a concession that will see it store items for up to a year before disposal.
Work to increase the headground area to provide extra space to place mementoes will go ahead on Wednesday and should be completed the following day.
The council said: “To allow this work to be carried out, mementoes require to be moved to a safe place.
“Once the work is complete, mementoes can be put back into the increased headground space.”
Hazlehead, Queens Cross and Countesswells councillor Martin Greig said: “I’m glad there has been a rethink.
“I think it is encouraging that the council is listening to the views and concerns of parents in this issue.
“The council needs to ensure that they keep up the dialogue with the affected parents and do all they can to accommodate their wishes.”
The council are asking anyone who has mementos on the grass or a grave in the small babies’ section to remove these items before Wednesday.
Any remaining items will be moved and placed within the walled paved area around the SANDS memorial within the small babies’ section.
Mementoes will be left in the walled paved garden until June, 7 and will then be collected and stored for a further 12 months.
A council spokeswoman said: “We emphasised to the families that the main reasons that memorabilia cannot be placed on the grass is because the mementoes are obscuring other headstone inscriptions as well as causing difficulty for some families to access the headground, posy holder and headstone of their baby.”
